Edited by Robert M. Price

From the Introduction

It will be noticed immediately that Black Forbidden Things showcases the
work of a handful of today’s prominent Lovecraftian researchers, S.T. Joshi, Will Murray,
David Schultz, William Fulwiler, and myself. These tortured souls have contributed much of the
splendid scholarly analysis that has distinguished Crypt of Cthulhu from other fanzines
during its decade of existence. Two items here did not appear in the pages of Crypt. One
is my study “Randolph Carter, Warlord of Mars,” which forms a sequel of sorts to
Fulwiler’s essay, “E.R.B. and H.P.L.” My essay first appeared in
Tekeli-li #1 in 1991. Similarly, I have also taken the liberty of borrowing (from the
second issue of the same magazine) my controversial essay “Cosmic Fear and the Fear of the
Lord: Lovecraft’s Religious Vision,” as a natural adjunct to my earlier
“‘Lovecraftianity’ and the Pagan Revival.”A similar scholarly purpose is served by the inclusion here of three draft stories
Lovecraft received from the hands of his revision clients. De Castro’s “The
Automatic Executioner” became HPL’s “The Electric Executioner,” while
“A Sacrifice to Science” became “Clarendon's Last Test” or simply
“The Last Test.” William Lumley’s “The Diary of Alonzo Typer”
turned out surprisingly well as Lovecraft’s rewrite of the same name. Here, then, are
three of his revision tales in the case of which we may be precisely sure what role Lovecraft
had.